Fairweights’ Ledger from Ledgerwake by Bartermarch

Dusty quills scratch ancient debts into leather-bound pages as the Fairweights' guild tallies the day's settlements. The measured pulse of this track mirrors that meticulous accounting—each hammer strike on dulcimer strings like another transaction noted, each copper tray tap the quiet affirmation of scales properly balanced.

I recorded the psaltery parts during the annual reconciliation at Market Green, when three generations of merchant families gather to settle long-standing accounts. You can almost hear the tension in those sustained notes—the held breath of traders whose livelihoods hang in balance, the collective exhale when old debts find resolution.

The melodic cycles build gradually, each repetition adding another layer of memory—not unlike how the Fairweights' ledgers accumulate history, marking disputes settled seven summers past or promises made during last winter's frost fair. Halfway through, when the instrumental breakdown unfolds, listen for the moment where everything stills. That's the turning point when the final tally falls into place, when arguments soften into acceptance.

We captured actual scribes' bell samples during quiet hours at the Market Hall, their delicate tones cutting through morning mist as accountants summoned assistants to fetch older records. Those bells become especially prominent during the bridge, where the psaltery reaches upward like a question finally finding its answer.

The track concludes with a sense of weight lifting—the dulcimer motif slowing into gentle resolution as coin sounds fade into whispers. It's that moment when the figures balance, when debts transform into memories, and merchants can return home with clear conscience and settled hearts.

Weathered lutes & market rhythms stir memories of forgotten trades. Our dulcimers echo merchant calls across time—barter songs woven between coin-percussion & hurdy-gurdy drones. Listen for the Arbiter's bell.